Halloween Kukai 08 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Fall 2024
1 we chat Lily Moore (3) |
2 a hold up Charlie Armstrong (10) I thought this haiku was really cute and clever. I imagined a couple little boys saying something like “this is a hold up!” instead of trick or treat to the person handing out candy. I thought this image was cute because the kids are having fun pretending to be what they are dressed up as. At first I read it through the point of view of the person who is handing out the candy, but when I read through it again I focused more on the kids’ point of view. I imagined them running away giggling and acting like their parent waiting for them at the sidewalk is their getaway driver. Katelyn Wendt, Fall 2024 This haiku is adorable to me. I just imagine two little boys finding a candy bucket in front of someone's house, late in the night when the homeowner no longer wants to hand out candy. The kids take all of the candy left in the bowl, high on life after hitting the jackpot. This haiku was also relatable because I was totally that kid growing up. Dayton Lasack, Fall 2024 I loved this haiku. It was such a cute way to describe trick or treaters collecting candy on Halloween. Kids get to be so imaginative and creative on this night. A lot of them really get into character with their costumes. When I would hand out candy at home, I loved getting to interact with the trick or treaters. A lot of them are very interactive with their costumes and it so cute. Lily Moore, Fall 2024 I love the way this is worded. This reminds me of one of the very first haiku we read in this class, of a “streetwise shakedown” and two pigeons on the sidewalk. I think it’s cute to personify these kids as exactly what their costumes are. It makes the haiku more charming. Rachel Nott, Fall 2024 This was my favorite from our halloween kukai. I imagine two little boys dressed as cowboys with fake pistols or something trying to get some extra candy. I think the first line simply being “a hold up” is really good because it makes it sound more serious. The next two lines make it a very playful image. I like that I would know exactly what this haiku is about without having the halloween or fall context. Melis Barutcu, Fall 2024 When I read this haiku I immediately thought that it was funny. The first line sets up a more serious tone, and then the last two lines were a cute surprise that I really enjoyed. I like how it paints a picture of the two innocent little boys doing something that they think is so bad but its really such an innocent act of stealing some candy. Bella Palermo, Fall 2024 |
3 big Hershey's bar |
4 the missing posters Rachel Nott (4) |
5 fumbling for my keys Rachel Nott I don’t necessarily like this haiku because of the message, but it conveys imagery and feeling so I think it was well-written. It is spooky and creepy and gives me chills. I can feel the stress of this person trying to get away from an unknown car, but they are so stressed that they can’t focus on getting in the car. I have had a few experiences like this where I feel creeped out and need to get away, but my anxiety makes me fumble and take longer than I need to. Most of the time, I just feel scared being alone at night outside and the littlest noises freak me out. Charley Condill, Fall 2024 |
6 at the graveyard Lily Moore (6) |
7 serious trade deals Natalie Mase (8) I was drawn into this haiku due to the nature of what is being said without mentioning it. A clear picture is painted in your head of two kids trading their Halloween candy after a long night going house to house. But nowhere in this haiku does it mention Halloween. The concept of taking the keyword out of your haiku is a very interesting topic to me. I would also have to say that this is an interesting trade deal happening here because I feel like everyone wants the peanut butter cups, and nobody wants anything else. Gracie Shaffer, Fall 2024 I thought this haiku was really cute. It reminded me of when I was little and I would lay out all of my Halloween candy to see what I got and trade with my siblings. I really liked how the haiku starts by emphasizing that the trades are serious but then the second and third lines reveal that they are actually only trading candy. I think this represents the thought process of the kids. They’ve probably been looking forward to this for a while, so to them these trades are very serious. Katelyn Wendt, Fall 2024 |
8 by word of mouth Bella Palermo (8) This reminds me of my childhood. When I would trick-or-treat as a kid, I would always look for the best candy. There was this older couple who went to my church, and they always had the best and biggest candy, so we made it a point to go there every year. This also reminded me of my next-door neighbor and the candy she had. She is an elderly lady who is mostly blind, but she always gets Tootsie Pops and wraps the top in a tissue with a twist tie at the bottom to create little ghost suckers. This was a classic and go-to tradition for Halloween. Charley Condill, Fall 2024 This haiku was funny because every Halloween as kids you never want to go to the house that’s handing out bad stuff, you always want to find out where the big candy bars are before the house runs out. Abby Wilken, Fall 2024 I won't brag, but my house is the one with the king-sized candy bars. We usually only pass them out to the costumes we think are the coolest, but if there are any sweet kids we would give them one to. It all started because one day my step-dad got a box of hotdogs from his job, because he delivers food to a prison. It wasn't like we were going to eat them all, so we passed them out for Halloween. We couldn't make hotdogs an annual tradition, so we began to buy large chocolate bars. Hearing the kids yell in excitement down the road as they tell them to come to our house was rewarding in a way. It's fun seeing their reactions every time and they type of personalities they have. Maliyah Battle, Fall 2024 |
9 house by house Bella Palermo (4) This haiku just brings back so many vivid memories of wanting to find a cute costume, but when Halloween night comes around, it is always covered up by a coat. I am the type of person who never wanted to be cold, so I can relate to the idea that you’re the only one wearing a coat. Everyone else would suffer through being cold to show off their costume, but I would rather be all bundled up and warm. Gracie Shaffer, Fall 202 This haiku is so relatable. I was never allowed to just wear my costume on halloween if it was cold, my parents always forced me to wear a coat and have long pants on. They insisted I would immediately get sick if I went out in the cold with bare shoulders. I always complained that I would be the only one wearing the jacket, so when I read this haiku it brought back that memory. Caroline Arnold, Fall 2024 |
10 long talk |
11 planning the night Gracie Shaffer (5) |
12 trick or treat! Natalie Mase The imagery in this one is really simple, but also really good. I’m not around a lot to hand out candy to kids in my neighborhood, but this reminds me of the more shy kids facing their fear to get some candy. It’s also just a really fun picture in my head, and makes you wonder what is going through that kid’s head. They only have one problem, and it’s to get as much candy as possible. Matt Kordesh, Fall 2024 |
13 home alone |
14 lonesome night in |
15 halloween week Melis Barutcu I like this haiku because of how relatable it is. It reminds me of my older brother who would try to jump scare me constantly. And I think this haiku is particularly funny to me because brothers don’t need an excuse, but they’ll use any one they can find. I thought it was a cute family oriented haiku, while sticking to the spooky theme. Rachel Nott, Fall 2024 |
16 go to the mirror Dan Mungons (3) |
17 floorboards creak . . . Natalie Mase (3) |
18 for sale sign Abby Wilken (3) |
19 need some water |
20 get up to get a drink cold Dan Mungons (4) This is spooky and relatable. Obviously I haven't actually experienced this, but I remember when I was a little kid I would always wake up in the middle of the night super thirsty. I was scared to go downstairs and get water, so I would sprint through the house. I think this is a fun halloween haiku. I think the formatting adds a lot of substance to it, and I like the hand on your ankle twist. Izzy Jones, Fall 2024 |
21 the monster Ava Zukowski (4) |
22 a chilly breeze |
23 midnight corn maze Charley Condill (6) This is my favorite of the spooky haiku I read. I am not super fond of corn mazes, so the idea of going in one at midnight freaks me out. I imagine being lost with no sense of direction, with the added element of total darkness. I also really like the last line, with the dead end signified by the dash, abruptly ending the haiku. I also think the term “dead” could have another darker meaning, in which this haiku is showing the narrator’s final moment. Melis Barutcu, Fall 2024 |
24 late October snow . . . Katelyn Wendt (11) |
25 bonfire Abby Wilken (9) |
26 ghost in the graveyard Katelyn Wendt (10) “Ghost in the graveyard” is a game that I played a lot with my friends as a child. You really can play this game at any time, but playing it in the evening or at night makes it so much more spooky as it is harder to see and you don’t know what might happen. I can feel the anticipation of the game as you become alarmed by the seeker coming closer because you hear the crunch of the leaves. I like how this haiku took me back to memories of my childhood and the types of games that we would play. I feel like this game would be especially fun to play around halloween. Ava Zukowski, Fall 2024 |
27 trick or treat Katelyn Wendt (8) I enjoy this haiku because I can feel the emotions of the person who just received these peanuts. The insurmountable disappointment that comes with receiving a pack of peanuts on Halloween is something that no child ever forgets. I liked this haiku because I myself have survived this exact situation. I hope this haiku can help spread awareness against handing peanuts to children on Halloween. Dayton Lasack, Fall 2024 This haiku took me right back to when I was younger and trick or treating. There was always that one house that gave out the worst things, like peanuts or healthy snacks. I was usually okay if they handed out pretzels or something similar to that, but I hated getting peanuts or some type of fruit. But of course, you have to be polite and thank the people handing stuff out. Kids are really bad at lying so I’m sure the people passing the bad stuff out knew. Lily Moore, Fall 2024 |
28 full moon |
29 accepting Satan’s offer |
30 orange marigolds Bella Palermo (3) |
31 a stray crow Dayton Lasack (3) |
32 foggy mirror Maliyah Battle (3) |
33 murder scene Matt Kordesh (4) |
37 Halloween night Charlie Armstrong (3) |
38 late at night Dan Mungons (4) |
39 the comfort Lily Moore (4) |
40 when i go Rachel Nott (4) |
41 after the event Caroline Arnold (5) I like this haiku because it kind of feels like an exaggeration of when someone calls you a witch or a bad word. It feels like it's implying that the person leaving the event is not phased by the name name calling and they are simply going to leave content with that. By flying away unphased, the person leaving is not letting the other person have power over them because they are taking ownership of their actions in a sort of proud way. Bella Palermo, Fall 2024 |
42 ofrenda completed Lily Moore (4) |
43 i look in the mirror Ava Zukowski (4) |
44 pulling out the guts Gracie Shaffer (9) I love the imagery of this. The wording is super aggressive. It almost makes you feel bad for the pumpkins. If you think about it like that the pumpkins sound violated, but in reality carving pumpkins is a fun staple halloween tradition. I think this haiku is super creative and I like it a lot. Izzy Jones, Fall 2024 I really like the way this haiku creates a picture in my head. I just recently carved pumpkins, and this feels very accurate. The guts are so gross and smelly and difficult to remove, and we definitely had to punch out the eyes. I like the sound at the beginning of the first two lines, I feel like it really adds emphasis to the actions. Caroline Arnold, Fall 2024 |
45 haunted house Dayton Lasack (6) This haiku is just straight up creepy and horrifying at the same time. The idea that someone could just waltz into a haunted house with a costume and a mask without raising any concern should terrify people from haunted houses. However, maybe that’s what the extreme adrenaline junkies want, is that extra fear factor that heightens their enjoyment for Halloween. I am not one of those people, and this haiku genuinely gives me a creeping feeling. Charlie Armstrong, Fall 2024 |
46 high stakes negotiation Charlie Armstrong (12) This haiku was so cute because as kids, trading candy was a huge deal aft going trick or treating because you had to make sure you got a good deal, but the imagery of the two kids in costumes, even though the haiku doesn’t directly tell you they are in costumes, makes it funny. Abby Wilken, Fall 2024 This haiku is so representative of many people’s childhoods. I always remember after trick-or-treating, my friends and my sisters would dump all of our candy out onto the living room floor and then sort so that each type of candy was together in our individual piles. From there, we would negotiate trades for the candies that we wanted. I really liked how this haiku captures the essence of Halloween in that you can dress up as whatever you want, but you still are a kid who wants to end up with the best candy. Ava Zukowski, Fall 2024 |
47 children shriek and cry Maliyah Battle (6) |
48 darkness Caroline Arnold (4) This haiku reminds me of the time my family would have bonfires. We would spend the first two hours talking about anything we could think of. Bouncing stories around when inspired by another family member. Forcing yourself to focus on the stories instead of the cold wind blowing at your back. Then it would reach a point where everyone would gradually become silent. Allowing yourself to relax and enjoy the heat radiating off the fire. Watching as the embers dance around on the burning logs. As we got older meeting for occasions like this became harder, so meeting like this is special. Maliyah Battle, Fall 2024 |
49 post horror movie Maliyah Battle (3) |
50 moonlight shadows |
51 trick or treat Izzy Jones (8) I like the creepiness/eeriness to this haiku. It kinda plays out like the beginning of a horror movie, andsometimes the more realistic, non-paranormal halloween movies can be the scariest. The idea that maybe a couple kids went to the wrong house, or somehow went missing despite there being hundreds of people around, is arguably scarier than some ghost or supernatural thing, especially if you don’t really believe in that kind of thing. Matt Kordesh, Fall 2024 I think this haiku can be particularly eerie in how someone may interpret the way the cops look for the kids. Maybe they committed a crime and are actually on the run. Or maybe the cops are also kids dressed as policemen and are pretending to play cops and robbers. I think this haiku does a great job of playing into that mysteriousness that often surrounds Halloween, especially not knowing if people are who they are underneath their costume and what their motive is for the night. Charlie Armstrong, Fall 2024 |
© 2024, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.